Flickering Embers
by Waterspark357
Summary: After a close encounter with an elemental, Kai is beginning to fall apart. Slowly, his team is beginning to worry that...Well, they need to do something before this gets any worse. And they lose their fire wielder and partner. Rated M for swearing, blood, and dark themes.
1. Chapter 1: Symptom

Symptom

The first signs had been so minuscule, but they all cursed not seeing them sooner. It had started after they'd battled some sort of ethereal, invisible elemental creature. From there, it went downhill.

Kai had gone into a little coughing fit during meditation, briefly interrupting the serene moment.

"You okay, man?" Lloyd asked, knowing Kai's voice, but worrying over his health. It was never good when one of them got sick.

"Yeah, yeah, just felt like I had something scratchy in there. Sorry, sensei." He settled back into his meditation pose, but Zane, Lloyd, and Nya had all mentally made a note to check on him later.

Kai checked out, and he continued on. The next oddity had been during a sparring session with Jay, a few days later. As the two were basically raw energy when they were in their respective elements, sparring always was a give and take as well as a spectacle to witness.

"Again, Jay! Go for the support!" Kai called, jumping at Jay, punches easily being dodged, and then seeing the pale blur move in to infiltrate his stance. Jay's strong round kick caught the back of Kai's knees, making him topple. He panted for a few moments on the ground, Jay poised in a mock kill blow. Then he cracked a smile, holding out his hand.

"How was that?"

"Better, but it needs more force." Kai took the hand, smiling back at his friend and lover. He let go, walking away, still panting and unable to catch his breath. He lowered himself onto the stairs leading out of the training room, grabbing his respective water bottle.

"You good, baby?" Jay asked, still hyped and bouncing. Kai nodded, unable to find his voice after several swallows of water. Then he coughed roughly into his fist, looking a little beat.

"Yeah, just, can't catch my breath." He shook himself off, standing to face the freckled man, taking a new stance.

"Alright, again."

"Zane, could I sleep in between you and Cole?"

"Nuh-uh, it's just starting to get warmer." Cole said from around the corner where he was changing, Zane paused from wiping grease off himself and Jay from the garage.

"Why?" He asked, not looking up. Kai didn't respond, opting to finish brushing his teeth. Spitting the scum into the sink, he refused to look over at his partners still as he rinsed his mouth.

"Cause I'm cold…" He mumbled, barely loud enough for the two in the bathroom to hear, let alone the third man in the bedroom.

"Whaaaaaaat?" Jay asked with a devious smile, seeing Kai's embarrassed and blush-tinged face.

"What what?" Cole asked, walking in from Jay's noisy response, only seeing Kai hiding his face in his hands.

"Nothing!"

"Kai is cold." Zane said over his shoulder, backing up from Jay as he was satisfied with his cleaning job.

"What, are you feeling okay?" Cole went to move his hands and feel the fire elemental's forehead, but was childishly slapped away.

"Yes! I'm fine! I just want to sleep next to someone warmer than ice fingers over there!" Kai huffed, still a nice shade of pink, making his three partners smile at his defensiveness.

"C'mere, fireball." Cole chuckled, scooping up the grumpy brunet, who hid his face in the broad shoulder. Zane and Jay followed, Jay opting to piggyback on Zane who looked happy to comply.

"Wow, you're actually, like, a normal temperature." Cole mused, letting Kai flop onto the bed as Cole sat more gingerly on the edge.

"Here, lemme feel!" Jay chirped, climbing off of Zane, jamming his hand onto Kai's neck. "Yeah! You're right! Kai, you're, like, human temperature!"

"Can we just go to sleep? And not talk about how I'm not warm?"

"Jesus, just say cold!"

"Hush, Muscles, less talking, more cuddling. Same goes for you two."

"Seriously? Who keeps making these mechs for these ass-"

"Language, Kai!" Lloyd cut off the red ninja, who was at the back of the formation, mostly complaining.

"Kai! I need some heat!" Jay called, starting to get overwhelmed.

"Thought you'd never ask!" Kai jumped over Lloyd, who was wrangling the leader, and went for the group of lankies on Jay. He landed, striking his control pose to release a jet of fire before he'd turn it on the bad guys. But nothing happened.

"Kai!"

"H-hold on! Just-" Kai screamed, fire exploding off of his arm, blasting away several guys from Jay's position. It made the elemental stumble, looking shocked at his own power, unregulated.

"Nice shot!"

"Yeah…"

He was getting dressed. He was JUST getting dressed! How in the world could his power be going haywire? His own skin was burning, the natural defense against the flames that would subsequently follow. Running out of his shared room, he managed to get on the deck when a jet of flames released itself from his hand. He stared at his own appendage disbelievingly, like it'd betrayed him. It had betrayed him. His powers were supposed to be under his control, especially after several years of use. The only exception to that rule was when his emotions got so extreme they were painful.

"Fuck…" He muttered, trying to get a gauge on his internal feel of his fire. Unlike usual, it was like catching smoke, and Kai did not like that. Suppressing his powers into the back of his being, he got his skin to cool down in the morning air. Then he walked back inside like nothing had happened.

"Uh, e-excuse me." Kai abruptly stood from dinner, walking out onto the deck. The weirdest part was Kai never excused himself in casual company.

"Did he look sick to you?" Jay asked, Zane nodding, concern mounting on his face.

"Lemme go out and check on him.." Lloyd soothed, standing to follow. He found him leaning on the railings on one side of the deck, trying to suppress coughs as smoke rose thick in the air.

"Kai!? Is that a cigarette!?" Lloyd sounded scandalized, which was a one of the fastest tones to get everyone else outside. Kai whipped around looking all sorts of guilty and wide-eyed. Then he coughed hard, smoke billowing out of his mouth and nose, having him holding onto the railing to stay upright.

"No!" He managed to get out, trying to keep the others back. Kai knew fire, and it's subsequent components. He may not be the master of smoke, but he's pretty damn close. This was the type of smoke that came off of burning garbage, that was dangerous and thick, it wasn't the usual kind. He was his fire's fuel source, so the smell of it's smoke would vary, but it was usually a scorched type of old tree smell.

"S-Stay back.." He wheezed, letting the gas spill from his lungs. After he'd hacked up enough that it stopped, he dizzily walked back over to the group.

"Kai, are you okay?" Zane asked with dangerously serious and genuine concern. The brunet nodded, coughing into his fist a little.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Sorry, I was tryin' not to scare you, it-it's an elemental thing. It's nothing to worry about, it'll pass." Lloyd smiled gently, hugging the red ninja. They went back inside, and no one saw the scared look in Kai's eyes.

"Kai? You okay?" Cole and Jay exchanged looks as they heard the other male retching again in their shared bathroom.

"Y-yeah…just…don't come in!" He said weakly, voice wobbly. Thus, Jay promptly opened the door. Kai sat curled around the toilet, frowning at them, surrounded by a small cloud of smoke. Upon closer inspection, a slightly chunky grey and black slop was in the toilet.

"Kai-"

"I'm fine." He looked away from them.

"This does not look like fine." Cole emphasized by pointing at gross sludge.

"I just had some bad food. It's fine." He insisted, coughing a little, defined puff of smoke coming out of his mouth.

"This looks like the opposit-" Cole was interrupted by Kai flushing the toilet, shuddering, and walking over to the sink. Grabbing his toothbrush, he looked at them pointedly.

"I feel fine. It was just something I ate, really." He said, throwing them a grin to accent he was certainly, most definitely fine.


	2. Chapter 2: Reaction

Glancing at Cole, Jay unsurely padded toward the larger brunet. Kai was turned away, pulling on clothes for the day. Jay looked over his shoulder again, Zane now standing there nodding encouragingly. Gently, he reached out and hesitantly tapped his shoulder.

"Kai-"

"What?" They all cringed at the clipped tone.

"We're worried-"

"I'm fine."

"Kai, you keep saying that, an-" Cole stepped up, letting Jay grow a bit bolder. But it went silent when Kai slammed the dresser drawer shut. They could see him clenching his jaw, fist white- knuckled at his side.

"I know i've been weak lately-"

"Ka-" Jay hated the way he punctuated that word in particular. This is what he was afraid of.

"BUT, it's just a cold or allergies or some shit. You don't have to keep coddling me." Kai finally looked at them. His face was pale and he was on the brink of tears, anger verging on desperation. Despite that, his eyes were a dull color, contrary to his emotions. Surprisingly, Zane was the one surging forward.

"Whatever this is, we just want to help, Kai. We love you-"

"Get OFF!" Kai shoved him away. "I don't need help! Just-!," Kai heaved a sigh, looking at the varied expressions between the three, "I just need some space right now. You wouldn't understand." And then Kai just left.

"Well, he's in a mood-"

"C'mon, he just needs space, if we-"

"He needs our assistance, tha-" The three began to bicker, eventually concluding to just let the brunet take his own course and hopefully come back to them.

Two months had passed and Kai's health was slowly declining. Vomiting was becoming uncomfortably common, and this particular morning, he looked like shit. He'd slept in his own room, apart from his partners, which didn't happen very often, but they'd started to become overbearing on his condition. Trudging into the kitchen late, he looked like he'd actually been hit by a semi-truck. His entire complexion was pale, despite being naturally tanned, and he was beginning to register colder than an average human. He coughed as he got the box of cereal that'd been put away, catching Lloyd's attention, who had been putting on his shoes.

"Oh my god, you are not going out." He laughed, only getting a sharp glare from the tired elemental.

"We're just training, I'm fine, Lloyd." God, he even sounded terrible, his voice grated his throat, and caused him to cough. A puff of smoke wafted up to the ceiling, and Kai groaned.

"Yeah, you're not. Go back to bed." The green ninja dismissed, going out on the deck.

"Alright, pair off for- oh my god." Lloyd started, facepalming as he saw Kai determinedly walking out on deck.

"Can't you three do something?" Lloyd gestured to the brunet who frowned, his three boyfriends shaking their heads, already having suffered under Kai's unbreakable determination.

"Uncle-"

"Sensei, I can speak for myself and I am fine. Please, continue Lloyd." Kai interrupted in a dangerous tone, holding Lloyd's look, unwavering. Wu nodded, making Lloyd roll his eyes, finishing dolling out training orders, opting to spar with Kai today to make sure he'd be okay.

"Kai, stop being stupid. You're sick."

"Whatever, let's just spar already."

"Fine, elemental practice." Thus, the day began. They warmed up, Kai shifting into better spirits when Lloyd stopped denying him.

But sparring began as a problem. Kai could physically keep up, but something lagged, his movements off. Lloyd kept blasting him and he either couldn't deflect or his flames lost control and shot toward the green ninja.

"C'mon, Kai, control." Lloyd prompted, resetting.

"I KNOW," he barked back, "I know..." He felt like shit and his internal feel of himself was all sorts of muddled. He couldn't tell what was just his body or his power, and none of it was listening to him. Lloyd watched his sluggish movements, making sure to stay out of firing range.

"You got this, Kai, c'mon!" Almost missing the delayed jet of fire, Lloyd let loose a shockwave, toppling Kai. "Are you okay?" He walked over where Kai lay on the ground, looking like he'd momentarily been unconsciously. Crouching and offering a hand, Kai slapped it away. The blond could see frustration mounting, and he told Kai to rest after an hour or so as he checked on the others.

"Dude, what the hell is he doing?" The blond hissed at his friends.

"Lloyd, he's been like this all week. He's barely even talking to us, not to mention not even

sleeping near us." Cole shrugged, looking over at the other two who nodded unhappily in confirmation.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"We thought he'd get pissed or something. Or like we did something?" Cole tried, looking unsure of himself.

"He said he needed space. And we all know how... off, he's been, lately." Jay added, rubbing his arm in skittishness over the topic.

"I don't think he even has any other emotions than tired or angry, right now." Lloyd sighed, rubbing his temples. "It's even effecting his element."

"What?" Zane looked alarmed, which in turn made the other three men look at him.

"It's affecting his fire, he can't really...control it? It's almost like he's running on empty." Zane looked concerned, but nodded, not saying anything else in favour of staring at the deck. Before they could prompt anything further, Kai stormed past, shirt off. Surprisingly, he was glistening with sweat, which was odd based on his recent decline in temperature. Moving toward the front of the deck he began to go through the basic sets that they used to channel and control their element. He frustratedly ended each one with no result, growling and resetting.

"Kai...?"

"What!?" He yelled, breathing hard. He looked more hopeless rather than angry.

"Listen, man-"

"No, you listen," He jabbed a finger into Lloyd's chest, making him stumble, looking vaguely fearful of the brunet's scowl, "I'm fine! I have everything under control! Everything is fine! I know what I'm doing, so just fuck off Garmadon!" He tried to storm away, but his steps began to slow and wobble. Stumbling onto his knees, he held in a pained noise, eventually ending on his hands and knees, whimpering.

Lloyd could only stand there still shocked at the outlash from his unofficially-adopted older brother. Jay moved to try and get him, but stumbled back as heat radiated unnaturally in visible waves from the man. Kai was curling in on himself before a scream ripped through the air. In a split second he was engulfed in blinding flame as the brunet's silhouette crumbled. Then it was all over, Kai laying in a crumpled heap in the middle of the deck. Zane was the first to rush forward, scooping up the limp body. He turned Kai's face, fingers pulling open one eye. Gasping in horror, the ice elemental froze, hand hovering over the skin of his boyfriend's face.

"What?" Cole asked, sliding down on the other side of Kai's body. His hands were beginning to shake as he tried to figure what to do.

"Zane, what's wrong!?" Jay asked in a demanding voice, standing over the two, shifting anxiously on his feet. Lloyd slowly approached as Zane looked up at the others.

"H-His fire..." Zane whimpered, holding the brunet closer to his chest.

"His element is dying ."

Thus, Kai lay in the collective bed, wrapped in several blankets, still unconscious. He was

freezing, all warmth seeming to have been sapped from his being. Much to Zane's horror, his eyes had reverted back to the dark brown he had before unlocking his elemental powers, nearly identical to his sister's. From then on, his eyes always wavered between the colors of fire, usually a gentle amber. But now they were just...dull.

Sensei Wu, Lloyd, and Nya were in the other room, pouring over books and information. Cole sat next to him, moving his hand across the finally serene face to keep heat on it. Zane was at the desk, plugged into the on board computer and trying to find anything on this type of illness. Jay was flitting between the two rooms and the kitchen. Having made drinks and snacks, he needed activity to occupy his fretful state.

A whimper made Cole pause, feeling a shift under his hands. Then dull brown eyes were looking up at him.

"Hi, buddy."

"Why's i' s-s-so cold?" He asked, shivering in the multitude of blankets. Cole felt his heart pang for his fire elemental.

"I'm sorry, buddy, we're tryin' to keep you warm. Is this better?" He placed both his hands on Kai's neck, earning a hum, but Kai's face remained somber.

"Cole, did you want-"

"Shh, Jay, he's up."

"'S c-cold." He complained, trying to sit up, like that'd get him away from the sensation. Jay came over, setting down the a third cup of tea, placing a hand soothingly on the bulky form.

"Kai, you scared us so much!" Jay chastised, smiling broadly as Kai's face tried to contort. His expression wasn't right, like he himself was hard to control. Almost woozy looking in Cole's opinion.

"Cold..." The deep, thorough, burning void inside Kai felt like ice. Bad ice. The kind you impale yourself on and it freezes your blood before you die. It was painful and the very opposite of what Kai wanted. He just wanted to be okay again, feel the warmth in his body.

"I know, but can you-" Jay soothed, Cole still moving his hands around to warm the skin on his neck and face. But, much to the earth user's dismay, Kai felt like the cool synthetic flesh of their beloved nindroid whenever he got fully powered up.

"N-ne-ed hot-t-t." His shivering was becoming violent, the commotion pulling Zane out of cyberspace. Jay was muttering soft words and holding his shoulder down a bit forcefully. Unfortunately, Kai still had energy, be it fueled by fear or whatnot.

"But Kai-" Cole began to reason, but the face in his hands was jerked away as Kai writhed in his cocoon of blankets.

"C-cold-d!" He stammered beginning to struggle, trying to get out of the confines. He was bordering hysterical, he knew it. But he'd lost the ability to care. He just had to get away from this body.

"Zane, I-I need some help!" Cole was losing his ability to restrain the elemental. Kai was beginning hyperventilate, managing to pull his arms free of the embrace. The nindroid came over and turned on his internal heaters in his palms, Kai leaning for the heat, clinging to the hand presented to him.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Jay asked, vaguely disgusted by the way Kai was not even acting human.

"More he-eat..." He hiccuped, but he wasn't crying, pressing Zane's hand hard into his cheek.

"I-I'm not sure. It has to do with his lack of elemental energy, but I hoped it wouldn't be this bad.." Zane said, moving to offer his second hand.

"Well, we can't just throw him in a fire, we don't even know if he counts as an elemental anymore!" Jay squawked, petting Kai's hair, mostly for the blue ninja's own piece of mind. Then a grip locked around his wrist, the weak man looking him dead in the eye.

"Please." Kai was nearly pleading, looking between them.

"I-I..." Jay felt tears welling up in his eyes, seeing one of his favorite people demeaned to this. And Jay knew exactly what he wanted. "Kai, I can't..." He pulled the other man to him, Zane following with the subsequently connected other hand.

Spasming, Kai could barely register the people around him. His body was rejecting the lack of something, he didn't know what, but his entire form was sore from the involuntary twitching. He couldn't stop it, no matter how far he curled in on himself to try and stay warm.

Jay just felt ill having to watch. They'd seen one another at some pretty low lows, but this was scary. Cole may be their pillar, but Kai kept everything together, as Jay and Zane ran the power and intelligence respectively. They'd tried to live without one another, but after over a decade of comradery, they were family. And now even more, which made this hurt so much worse. He soothed his own trembling hands over sweaty hair, Kai damp and freezing all the while. Zane was trying to collect as many spare blankets as he could, Cole pacing from room to room. He wasn't good with these situations. He could coddle, and comfort, or decimate, but he was afraid he was always going to hurt something if he touched.

Snorting fondly at the memory, Jay recalled how Cole had been so gentle when he and Jay had first started dating. At the time it had irritated Jay to no end, demanding more than featherlight touches and quick pecks. Now he could haplessly pick up any of them, muscle memory having memorized each of them.

"Okay, I think this all I could get." Zane announced, dumping a massive pile on the floor next to the bed, getting Jay to nod at him. Swallowing dryly, he sat Kai up, hating the way he jerked around like a snake being electrocuted. Zane lifted his lower half so he could wrap him in blankets, the layers slowly getting the shivering to lessen. Cole came in later, once Kai was just a mound of blankets. His eyes were red from commiserating with Lloyd and Nya, not hesitating to go to their bathroom and chug a couple glasses of water. He returned and stood by Kai's side of the bed, feeling himself tear up again at seeing Kai's pained expression. He shivered a little, but was mostly restricted by the blankets, his hair awkwardly angled and just...not Kai. Settling on the other side, he slid in next to Zane and Jay, who'd already fallen asleep next to the nest.

He didn't realize he was awake until his feet hit the floor. Then he was acutely aware of the fact he was soaked in sweat, a hodgepodge of blankets where he used to be. Following his feet, he found himself on the deck, windy night making him shiver even more.

Then something lurched in him, and he doubled over in rough coughs. When he could open his

eyes again, he saw the embers on the deck, still glowing after just being inside him. Gagging, he felt an unnatural something rise up his throat, coughing up the foreign thing into his hand.

A tiny golden flame flickered in his palm, levitating itself just above his palm. It's glow warmed Kai's face, little flecks of shining ash coming from nothing. Then, it began to grow smaller, the way a match dies. It leaned away from Kai, trying to leave his grasp. Kai's world shattered inside himself, like all the supports melting. He felt himself falling away, but reached after the fading light, regardless, as the night took hold.

They found him in the morning, peacefully sprawled on the deck, one hand outstretched with a little handful of ash.

Everything about Kai had just...deflated. He wasn't himself. When he wasn't complaining about being cold, he was trying to crack jokes, but he had little energy. It was like he'd been stripped of something unseen; more than just his element. Often, someone found him huddled in a corner or against the wall of a room with some blankets, staring at the nothing.

Whenever he coughed smoke and ash came up, fluttering down like dismal snow. Lethargic and fatigued, he failed to even put effort into his appearance. He wasn't eating, the only reason he wasn't straight up rotting away was because of the people around him simply wouldn't stand for Kai they knew would have gotten angry and lashed out, or become stupidly determined. Instead, he just agreed or accepted anything that was given and done to him. So, here he was now, just slouched against the railings of the Bounty, on the deck.

Jay was struggling to meditate next to him while Cole and Lloyd sparred.

Zane and Nya had left to gather more information, the two calling everyday, if not more, to check in.

"Oof, you're really pickin' up on the power for that one, bud!" Cole huffed, shirtless and breathing hard. Lloyd's shirt clung to him where patches of sweat showed.

"Wouldn't of happened if I didn't have such a good teacher." He laughed breathlessly, walking away, most likely to refill his water bottle. Kai watched in a dead and dazed fashion, hair obscuring his vision as it flopped in his eyes, unsculpted.

"How're ya' doin' buddy?" Cole asked as he crouched to retrieve his own water bottle.

"Cold." Kai muttered sourly, frowning a little at the sympathy in Cole's face.

"Don't worry, we'll get you back-"

"AGH, NO YOU WON'T!" Kai leapt up suddenly in the earth user's face. Scrambling back, the noiret was unprepared. He glanced at Jay who was slowly standing, scared behind the taller brunet.

"I'M GONNA DIE! Don't you see..? Fire was who I was, even before I had it! I'm dying.." Kai's anger deflated into a deep sadness, tangent ending in raspy coughs. Tears, blood, and ash splattered the deck as the former elemental heaved, subsiding into sobs as he pulled his head in between his legs. Shuttering in grief, Cole and Jay could only watch and try to comfort. The worst part was, he was right.


	3. Chapter 3: Rush

Rush

"Of course, nothing we ever do is easy.." Cole muttered to Zane who only looked exhausted at the prospect of the task. Nya had worked with their nindroid and her's, to retrace their exploits to the elemental creature. Unfortunately, they had herded the thing into the forest where it was supposed to reside. The shapeless force had only attacked when a human village threatened it. Now, the settlement had protection in place, but the creature seemed to have deemed it acceptable to share their territory. The fight with it had been particularly difficult and it wasn't until later that Zane's footage could be translated. It spoke in several overlapping tongues, some archaic and lost. In the end, it seemed to spout gibberish, and Zane gave up on the project. Since then, the thing had been forgotten, but now it was their only lead and hope.

"How're we supposed to find this thing?" Lloyd prompted, almost tripping when Jay burst out of the foliage near him.

"OH GOD, OH GOD, THEY'RE ON ME!" Vigorously brushing himself off, he ran into Cole. Picking up his smallest boyfriend, he shook him like a spray paint can.

"Better?" He asked as he placed him back on the ground and Jay nodded in a dazed manner, now discombobulated from the action but placated.

Nya took the lead, getting them to pack food and supplies for their journey. Skylor very kindly gave them some raw ingredients and supplies at wholesale value. Initially she tried to give them to the team for free, but Lloyd and her girlfriend insisted they at least break her even. Nya had most of the food, seeing as Cole took any chance to eat when he was stressed, Jay's accelerated metabolism kept him snacking, and Zane could prepare but not preserve food. And Lloyd was just straight up too small, even though he was about even with Nya and Kai. Their protectiveness could borderline overbearing, but they were down a member, so Lloyd tolerated.

Kai glared at them, absorbing sunlight and being alive, while he sat in the same position and fucking froze. It wasn't fair. Everything hurt as he shivered, stomach empty despite his attempts to eat. He was angry at himself for being angry at them and it was like a sharp dagger of ice in his back. Just like the pitiful looks and coddling gestures and his own submissiveness to the entire thing. He felt like a ghost, maybe a ghost of a ghost. It was just easier to ignore everything and get this pain over with, no matter what he had to do.

The jungle was lush and thick and green, putting Cole and Lloyd at ease. Cole simply had an affinity for the life that came from his element, while Lloyd just loved seeing everything living and growing. The leaves were enormous on the ground, trees towering around the clearing. Small things moved about in morbid curiosity, startling Jay occasionally. Pets were his only acceptable view on animals, everything else terrified him. Zane easily got distracted by new plants he hadn't seen, Cole nudging him from staring awe-struck at neon flowers.

Something distant pulled Kai to wobble onto his feet and move. He followed the shadow of the Bounty, unsure of his weakened state to support his body. Then something crackled and he was scrambling to find it. A stray bushfire wobbled in some dry grass left from the engine's ignition. It was quickly dying so Kai took ample opportunity of it.

The air was alive and breathing, a distance sense Lloyd retained from Morro's inhabitants. He could just sense how full and buzzing it was to simply move around and exist. Reminded him of the young Morro he'd met in the man's broken mind. The one he could've been friends, maybe family, to.

"Okay, I think we...Where's Kai?" Lloyd looked around, looking toward his team. Instantly, they were dropping their backpacks, calling his name.

"Kai! Where are you!?" Zane called, quick to part foliage.

"Kai!" Cole called, running himself in circles.

"Oh god, where is he!?" Jay worried, speeding between different points.

"SHIT, I FOUND HIM!" Nya yelled from the opposite side of the Bounty. She now held him, looking at his hands. The fire was turning to embers, dying in a matter of seconds, barely any threat now..

"What were you doing!?"

"You can't leave like that!"

"I was cold." He said in a deadpan manner, not looking at his team.

"Zane, go get the med kit!" Nya ordered, her voice cracking.

"What?" Cole asked, crouching down to where Nya held his wrists.

"Look at his hands!" Sure enough, they were red and raw.

"Is that...is he burnt ?" Jay asked in disbelief, looking at where the fire had been.

"I found him with his hands basically in the fire." Nya said in a gentle tone, holding her brother closer. Cole brushed some hair out of his face, his brown eyes slowly looking up at him. As Zane worked to smooth cream onto his hands and wrap them in bandages, Kai didn't even react, his hands twitching in pain almost detached from him.

"We need to find that thing." Lloyd affirmed in a dark tone as they got ready to pack up again.

"So, it displaces, like, magnetic fields?" Jay asked, striding with the nindroid as he took lead of the party.

"Precisely," Zane affirmed, pulling up the program he was using, "see, based on..." Jay cooed and debated the specifics, getting his intuitive sparkle as Zane happily explained the figures and dynamics. Cole smiled, making Nya elbow him.

"You are such a sap." Jabbing playfully, she got his smile to turn to bashful.

"Yeah, well, can you blame me?" Side-eyeing her, he wouldn't give her the full satisfaction of knowing she knew how to tease him.

knowing she knew how to tease him.

"Hardly, you goofballs are so dorky, if someone doesn't like you, there is something fundamentally wrong with them." Nya got Cole to chuckle at that one.

"I know a LOT of people that would disagree." He glanced up, trying to make a mental compilation of all the halfway decent people they knew that may not like them. Results: there weren't many.

"Yeah, and we've kicked all their butts." Nya confidently nudged him again, getting a huff of exasperation. She might not be an android like Zane or Pixal, but she could certainly prove more clever than her male counterparts.

"Fair point. Speaking of kicking.." He may as well bring it up now, as there wasn't much to do. Plus, Nya was usually pretty good humored.

"If you broke another one, I swear, Cole!" She laughed, more amused than upset. She and Jay had built and rebuilt and rebuilt their training dummies, but so far, none of them had lasted much over a month. Cole had a tendency to throttle anything in his path, including the equipment.

"I-It wasn't my fault this time! Blame Zane!" Cole tried to deflect, smile playful. It wouldn't be the first time he'd used his friends as scapegoats. Usually it was Kai, but he stopped that thought before he could let it linger.

"Oh, sure, you said that last time." Giving him a accusatory look, she saw his grin, knowing his feigned innocence was easily shredded.

"How could it not be him, the dummy was freezing."

"And in the freezer."

"Minor details!" Lloyd chuckled to himself. He was glad that the entire misunderstanding years ago was behind them. Nya was closer than ever with the team, which had initially been a struggle as the token female member. And with their four original members having finally figured out their complex lovelife, and Nya now with two girlfriends of her own, Lloyd was happy for his family. A little lonely sometimes, but he found himself never truly alone with such close bonds.

He caught himself, walking a little too close to the edge of the mountainside trail for his comfort. It was nearly a sheer, straight drop, the dense forest they'd begun in below. The wind was pleasant and they were almost to the top of the plateau, vines and ferns beginning to dot the path. But the sun was blaring, no cloud cover in the middle of summer. Summer was Kai's favorite season, though. Speaking of their lethargic friend-

"Hey, uh," Lloyd tapped on Earth and Waters' shoulders, getting them to glance at him, "where's Kai?" Lloyd cringed at the alarmed look he earned.

"JAY, ZANE, WE'RE MISSING KAI!"

"WHAT!?"

"Retrace our steps!" Nya ordered.

"Already ahead of you!" A blur of blue moved past them all, Jay moving inhumanly fast. They all began jogging after the blur.

"Who was supposed to be watching him!?" Lloyd yelled, looking back at the black and white ninja.

"Don't look at me!" Cole called indignantly.

"What!? I thought it was your turn!" Zane retorted.

"I thought it was Jay's!"

"Blame me later and help!" Jay yelled desperately, now hanging halfway off a cliff on the side of the path. Kai was dangling off the edge, looking absolutely nonchalant about the ordeal. Cole was quick to help haul the ex-elemental back onto the path. Ready to accuse the lightning elemental, the argument died in his throat as Jay cradled the taller brunet tightly. Holding Kai, Jay ran his hands over his face as he sit on the ground wrapped around him, incoherently sobbing.

"Jay..?" Nya knelt down, placing one of her hands on top of the smaller freckled ones. The erratic motions slowed and Jay took in gasping breaths to calm himself. Nya helped him and her brother up, flinching when her sibling received a sudden and harsh slap. Cole saw Zane jump out of the corner of his eyes.

"Don't you EVER fucking do that again! Do you hear me, Kai Smith!? DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING DARE!" Jay screeched, shifting after to huddle under the growing tension coming from Cole and Zane. Kai watched with a dead expression as always, any remorse or regret hidden perfectly.

"What did you do, Kai?" Lloyd asked in a dangerous tone, squaring up to him, as if he'd still fight back. He still had to hold his status as leader, and the discord in the group was testing his limits.

"Kai, what did you DO!?" Zane barked, helping Cole calm their lightning elemental down, who was just absolutely shaken.

"I just want this to end." Kai managed to get out, and it almost sounded like he was sad at the concept. Then his face dipped back down into bitter anger.

"I'm useless. Why're you doing this if it's pointless? I'm-" Kai doubled over in violent coughs, ending his growing tangent. Smoke billowed out in thick clouds, mixed with warm blood on the ground. This was the most he'd spoken in days, and yet the dark outburst barely phased his partners.

"I'm starting to wonder why we came as well." Cole spat, not getting any resistance from the insult. Kai heaved in raspy breaths, looking up at him in an almost defiant manner.

"Exactly. Just off me. I'm suffering," He dragged out the word, eyes narrowed in punctuation of his point, "if ever loved me you'd do me the favor." Jay let out a whimper, making Zane's expression go from upset to furious. In his restraint, he lead his remaining partners away. Nya helped her brother up, looking less than thrilled about his behavior. Lloyd scrubbed at his face, looking over their crumbling teammate. With a heavy sigh, he followed the other three.

"Let's make camp for the night.."

"He was just... sitting there. And he looked at me, he looked directly at me. And then he just... jumped! I- He chose to die! And he didn't care- I was right there... I, just, god, that isn't Kai." Jay recalled, huddled next to Zane as Cole dished out food.

"It's not surprising, he's been showing heavy signs of depression." Zane commented. Nya sighed from across the fire.

"Can you blame him? I mean, his powers... they defined him."

"They shouldn't. Our powers never should define who we are. And he knows that. He's given up, is what it is." Lloyd stated, sitting on his rock in the fire ring meditating.

"Yeah, on himself, but, us? It's just..." Cole sighed, holding several bowls full of dinner.

"Frustrating." Concluded the blue ninja, accepting the stew that Cole offered. They ate in silence, one bowl sitting off to side and going cold. Kai was in the forest just beyond their site, they'd tied him to long rope to a tree. Seeing as they couldn't trust him not to either burn himself alive or try to kill himself, they routinely checked on him.

"Well, I better go get him fed." Cole said with stretch and a sigh.

"Actually, can I go? I wanna talk to him." Lloyd asked, standing. Cole shrugged and handed over the bowl, happy to sit back down. Quietly, the green ninja walked between the trees, maneuvering low branches and seas of ferns. When he found the tree they'd designated Kai's, he started to worry when he didn't see Kai or his corresponding lead. Pacing around it, he found the rope leading upward, a figure sitting on a thick branch through the canopy.

With the finesse only the ninja could muster, Lloyd took a running jump, vaulting off nearby trees to make his way up to Kai. Soon he was gently balancing on the branch on his way to his friend. Kai spared him a glance, then resumed looking at the stars. Sitting silently, Lloyd offered him the still-full bowl, liquid sloshing slightly. Kai accepted it with a shaky hand, placing it on his lap.

"I'm not gonna kill myself, if that's what you're worried about." Kai looked down into the stew, dipping his finger in and tasting it.

"Oh, well, that's good to hear. How're you feeling?" Lloyd prompted, trying to be as casual as possible.

"I'm not." Kai replied with a pointed look, before beginning to down all of his stew in hearty gulps. After a couple of seconds, Lloyd, pulled the bowl away from his lips.

"Dude, you're gonna make yourself sick. Again. C'mon, breathe." Kai swallowed a final time and then burst into a series of rough coughs. When he subsided, he stared at the smoke rising into the night air.

"What did you mean? By, uh, you're not?"

"Lloyd, everything either hurts or is just... numb . I can't feel anymore."

"So, you don't care?"

"I do, but...," Kai floundered, getting frustrated, "it's so muted. It's like I don't know how to. And I don't think I want to. I feel so guilty for everything I'm putting the team through. I don't understand why you don't just leave me. And I can't even show it anymore." He stared down at the forest floor for beat. "I wonder if this is how Zane felt.."

"Kai, I think the real you is in there, you just need to accept-"

"This is different, Lloyd!" Kai spoke sharply, looking at the blonde pointedly. "When Chen took my powers, they were still there? This literally feels like my fire is gone. Like part of me is gone. And we know I'm dying. I just feel pointless, I have no energy, and I hate it so much." Kai's hands were clenching the bowl, which usually would have crushed it, but in his weakened state, it only remained as is. Lloyd looked at him and saw the silent tears going down his face as he shook.

"We're trying to fix... whatever this is, Kai. If you give up, then they're gonna give up too."

"They should, I'm just hurting them."

"No, you're not, Kai. They're hurting themselves because they're impatient and stubborn and emotional and, well, your boyfriends. And my family. And yes, they're not doing too well with you're... bluntness, but they're scared." Kai laughed in a humorless tone.

"Of what?"

"Of losing you. We're all scared. You're part of the team. Even if you don't care about yourself, I know you care about us." Lloyd stated with a little smile, catching the way Kai didn't look at him for that remark. Putting an arm around the shaking form, the elemental master exuded his power in some heat, making Kai sigh a little and lean into him.

"I do, Lloyd. I know you know, but it's so hard when I feel so terrible. I want to be me again, and I wish I could without my powers. I'm just not sure if I have enough time."

"It's okay Kai. Nya and the guys and I aren't giving up on you yet. Just stick with us, hot-head."


End file.
